Tim McGraw
by yourfavecouldnever82
Summary: AU. A Jason/Sam one shot based on the Taylor Swift song of the same name.


**Tim McGraw**

 _ **This is the first in a series of Jasam one shots based on my most favorite Taylor Swift songs. I hope you enjoy all of them. I picture Steve Burton as Jason in this - just FYI. Thanks for reading!**_

* * *

 _He said the way my blue eyes shined  
Put those Georgia stars to shame that night  
I said, "That's a lie."  
Just a boy in a Chevy truck  
That had a tendency of gettin' stuck  
On back roads at night  
And I was right there beside him all summer long  
And then the time we woke up to find that summer gone_

 _But when you think Tim McGraw  
I hope you think my favorite song  
The one we danced to all night long  
The moon like a spotlight on the lake  
When you think happiness  
I hope you think that little black dress  
Think of my head on your chest  
And my old faded blue jeans  
When you think Tim McGraw  
I hope you think of me_

 _September saw a month of tears  
And thankin' God that you weren't here  
To see me like that  
But in a box beneath my bed  
Is a letter that you never read  
From three summers back  
It's hard not to find it all a little bitter sweet  
And lookin' back on all of that, it's nice to believe_

 _When you think Tim McGraw  
I hope you think my favorite song  
The one we danced to all night long  
The moon like a spotlight on the lake  
When you think happiness  
I hope you think that little black dress  
Think of my head on your chest  
And my old faded blue jeans  
When you think Tim McGraw  
I hope you think of me_

 _And I'm back for the first time since then  
I'm standin' on your street  
And there's a letter left on your doorstep  
And the first thing that you'll read is:_

 _When you think Tim McGraw  
I hope you think my favorite song  
Someday you'll turn your radio on  
I hope it takes you back to that place  
When you think happiness  
I hope you think that little black dress  
Think of my head on your chest  
And my old faded blue jeans  
When you think Tim McGraw  
I hope you think of me_

 _Oh, think of me  
Mmmm_

 _He said the way my blue eyes shined  
Put those Georgia stars to shame that night  
I said, "That's a lie."_

* * *

It had been her mother's idea to visit Port Charles that summer six years back. She wanted Sam to get to know her father after years of Sam quietly (and occasionally, very openly) resenting him – resenting him for choosing to stay with his wife, daughter and step-daughter in that little nowhere town in New York.

It was her own idea to show up in Port Charles on this day with a weepy, sentimental letter in her hand. She needed this moment even if nothing ever came from it. She needed this if she was ever going to move on. She was due to be married in two weeks and it was way past time to exorcise _Him_ from her daily thoughts, from her blood. That summer couldn't have meant much to him anyway. He'd certainly never written or called the way that he had promised he would.

 _Time to move on._

But first things first. She needed fortification and food. She had driven more miles than she cared to know to get across state lines over night. She had taken off on her fiancé while he was in the shower. She didn't mean to worry him but of course how could she not have? He had texted her fifteen or twenty times before she pulled over to the side of the road to give him a brief return phone call. When he asked where she was, if she was alright, she said she was on the hunt for the perfect wedding gift for him and that she was just fine. So she had fudged a bit when she mentioned the epic wedding gift but then told herself that letting go of her past and the man who still haunted her dreams was the best thing she could give her soon-to-be husband anyway – to be able to stand at the altar in two weeks and say he was the only one for her.

She stopped her Mercedes in the parking lot in front of Kelly's Diner. She couldn't believe it was still open after all this time and yet, the place was legendary and the food extremely delicious for cheap prices. Not that she needed to save money or anything now. She was well-off, having taken on a "respectable career" as a legal aid, per her mother's wishes. And though she hated to admit it, she was marrying a very wealthy man who spoiled her endlessly. She would never want for anything with him. Now she just needed to make peace with the past and get back on the freeway and never look back.

She walked into Kelly's. Time stopped for a moment there: same old, trusty tablecloths; same red curtains in the window. Familiar-looking people sitting at the counter, people she had seen in passing that summer when she'd spent most of her time exploring the outskirts of town with _Him_ in his Chevy that broke down more often than it ran. He hadn't wanted to live off his family's prestige and wealth though and was working at the hospital in a clerical position to raise money to get a new car and put himself through medical school.

 _Did he ever become a doctor?_

She shook her head as she strode forward and slipped into a seat at the end of the counter. She grabbed for a menu stuck between two napkin dispensers and perused it though there was no need; she knew what she wanted – a big chocolate malt and a hearty bowl of Mike's famous chili. Was Mike even still around?

As if she had conjured the older man up in her mind, none other than Mike Corbin stepped out from the kitchen. A little grayer, a little more craggy in the face, but still Mike. She smiled in spite of herself as he delivered an order to a man near Sam. He then started towards her and quickly did a double take.

"Sammy?" He asked, eyes going wide.

It had been such a long time since anyone had called her that but she found that she didn't hate it. She remembered introducing herself to him under that name the first day she came to have lunch here with her father. She had given her nickname to Mike begrudgingly then and only because her father insisted that she say something.

Sam smiled softly. "It's just Sam now," she said.

Mike grabbed for her hand and gave it a warm squeeze. "Whatever you're calling yourself these days, I'm just glad you're here. How long has it been?"

 _Oh, six years, two hundred and one days…_

Sam just shrugged. "A few years I guess."

"Too long in my estimation." He grinned at her. "You up for some chili and a milkshake?"

Sam's stomach grumbled in response. She hadn't eaten in nearly twenty-four hours. "You actually just read my mind."

"It's a gift… Coming right up," Mike said and offering her another warm smile he went off to fetch her food.

Sam tapped her fingers on the countertop and looked around the place again. Some things really didn't change and it was a comforting thought.

Mike returned in fifteen minutes, carrying a bowl of chili, wearing hot pads on his large hands. "Careful. It's hot." He set it in front of her. "Now for your shake," he said and went to the machine around the corner to fix it up.

He walked back over to her and set the drink in front of her, presenting her with a straw. "So what brings you back to town? Are you staying awhile?" Mike asked conversationally.

The letter burned Sam's hip from the pocket of her denim skinny jeans. She felt her face heat up. "Just passing through," she lied. "And no, I can't stay long. Have wedding preparations to get back to."

Mike's eyes went wide. "You're getting married, Sammy?" He noticed her hand. "How did I miss that rock?"

Sam smiled and casually tucked her ring hand into the pocket of her leather jacket. "Yes, I'm getting married."

"Tell me he's a good guy and treats you right because if not… I know people," Mike said half-seriously.

Sam's lips twitched. "He actually treats me like a queen. I think we'll go the distance." Just as soon as she ditched this letter…

"I'm glad to hear it," Mike said. "I admit it though. I always pictured you and Jas-" He shook his head. "Nevermind. I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's okay," Sam. Her voice dropped several octaves. "And so did I for a long while there."

"Things changed after what happened to him, I guess," Mike said in a sad tone of voice.

"Something happened to him?" Sam asked, a little panicky feeling gripping her chest.

"You didn't know? He was in an accident and –" Mike broke off and his eyes went wide, fastened on the door. "Speak of –" He didn't finish his sentence.

Sam swiveled on her seat and her heart clenched fiercely in her chest. "Oh my god," she whispered to herself. It was Jason striding towards the counter. And whatever accident he had been in hadn't affected his looks in any way. In fact, he was more gorgeous than ever. Shivers went through her body – involuntary, unwelcome shivers.

He approached them and she got a whiff of his cologne. A mixture of something musky and good old-fashioned soap. God, why did everything about him still make her feel foggy-headed with desire?

She turned back to face the counter. She watched Mike's Adam Apple bobbing in his throat. "Hey, Jason, what are you doing here?"

"Carly… She's having another craving for a cheeseburger."

Sam's stomach ached and her heart slowed its racing. Carly… Carly… _Carly…_ Obviously he had someone in his life. Maybe someone pregnant from the sounds of it.

 _Oh god, why had she come here?_

Sam started to slip off the stool as Jason approached. She accidentally smacked into his shoulder and she bristled. "Sorry," Jason immediately apologized.

She looked up at him instinctively and willed him to acknowledge her but all she saw in his eyes was… Nothing. No recognition; no emotion for her; nothing. God, he had actually forgotten her, hadn't he? She had never meant anything to him at all. She had come all this way for nothing. He wouldn't care about a letter from someone he didn't even care to remember.

Unbidden tears filled her eyes as she hurried for the exit. Mike called after her but she shook off his appeals to come back.

Sam hurried out of the diner and to her car. She reached it and blindly searched her pockets for the keys to the Mercedes. She finally found them but realized she didn't feel something else in her pocket – the letter. The fucking letter. It was gone. Shit. She thought about retracing her steps but the urge to run and run fast fueled her on instead. She shakily stuck the keys into the door and wrenched it open.

She was about to climb into the car when she heard a voice calling her name. "Sam, wait," he said in a quiet, almost uncertain voice.

Sam thought about getting in the car and running for the safety of the highway but something in his voice called her back. She dashed at a stray tear and turned around to face him.

Jason had the letter – the damn letter – in his hand. Oh god. Humiliation set in.

She held her shoulders back as she best as she could. "Did you read it?"

"No… But it's for me right? My name is on the front," he said. He looked a little awkward. "Well, my old name."

Sam sighed. "So you're calling yourself something else these days?" She asked.

He nodded.

"What? What's your new name?"

"Jason Morgan."

"I don't like it," she said. She had fallen in love with Jason _Quartermaine_ all those years ago and though this guy looked the same, she saw subtle changes in him – ones that she had missed at first glance.

He shrugged. "That's my name though."

"Why the change? Never mind. I don't know why I am having this conversation with you," she said acidly because anger helped to push down the aching and the longing just a bit. "You obviously don't –"

"Remember you?" He asked. "You're right. I don't."

Sam felt her heart break into two. He didn't remember. He didn't remember any of it. Another awkward tear squeezed her from right eye. "Then how do you know my name?"

"Mike was calling after you when you ran out of there…"

"Oh yeah… Look, it was nice chatting but I need to go."

"Wait."

"Jason…"

"You meant a lot to me didn't you?"

Sam dug her fingernails into her palms. "I thought so," she said quietly. "But it was a long time ago so-"

"There's a reason I don't remember you."

"It's been a long time…"

"I don't remember anything from that life. Jason Quartermaine's life… Everyone tells me who I used to be but I don't any of remember it."

"How – how did that-" She broke off.

"I was in an accident several years back. I forgot everything from that life."

"You have amnesia?" She asked. "Is that even a real thing?"

"For me it is," Jason said. He scuffed his shoe on the hard ground. "So that's why I don't-"

"Remember me," she said. "Maybe I was just forgettable…"

"I doubt that," Jason said, almost sheepishly.

She swallowed hard. "Well, uh, sorry about your accident but I need to go. My life now is waiting for me."

"Why did you come here then? What's in this letter you wanted me to know?"

 _"Everything,"_ Sam said. She hugged her body. "The summer we spent together … Nevermind. It's not important anymore."

"It seems important. So why don't you tell me about 'everything'?"

"I can't," Sam said. "It's not something I can explain to a stranger and you are a stranger and –" She sighed. "Don't you have a wife to get back to?"

"Wife?" He shook his head. "I'm not married."

"Carly-"

"Oh. She's just a friend," Jason said. "She's actually married to my best friend Sonny."

"Sonny Corinthos – Mike's-?"

"Yes."

"Wow, you really have changed. The Jason I knew didn't exactly run with the rough crowd."

"Things changed."

"I get that," Sam said sadly.

"I'm sorry I don't remember you."

"It's okay… At least it will be. I'm over it already." Jason stared at her with quiet skepticism on his face. _"I am!"_

He looked at the letter again and she couldn't resist ripping it from his hand. "Don't read that."

"Why?"

"Because … because I think I'd rather … Tell you instead… If you're willing to listen that it is."

Jason nodded. "I think I am."

"Sure you want to hear all the 'gory' details?"

He nodded. Seeing the sincere expression on his face, she thought that was at least one thing that had not changed. He was the most _real_ person that she'd ever known.

"Where should we go?" She asked.

He shrugged. "The park…"

Sam nodded, smiling a little now. Oh she had a special story or two about that park. Jason and she had made special memories there once upon a time. Maybe there was a chance - some small chance - that they could make a new memory there today.

THE END.


End file.
